


Space Mall

by lulumina



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Dyn Jarren - Freeform, Gen, baby yoda is a gremlin, but he's got his heart in the right place, but we all love him for it, episode seven broke me so we're writing this to cope, friends romans countrymen we must join together in these dark times, he's unsure about being a dad, pls enjoy, thank you pedro pascal for namedropping, that's right i use his real name, the mandalorian is a softie, this is just the mandalorian shopping with his son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 23:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21857038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulumina/pseuds/lulumina
Summary: 3k words of mando shopping for a baby carrier. that's it(this may expand into a multi-chap series of ficlets, but for now it's a one-off)
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 329





	Space Mall

The first time it occurred to Dyn that the child may need a baby carrier was after he was mistaken for an appetizer at Belsa Cantina. While Dyn had been dealing with some ill-prepared bounty hunter in the alleyway outside, the child had wandered off from the corner Dyn had placed him in and found his way to the table of some very hungry Devaronians. When Dyn re-entered the cantina and saw the child cowering from a fork being brandished in his direction, his stomach leaped into his chest and he raced to the table, scooping him into his arms and glaring at the now-angry Devaronian. 

“Last I checked, children aren’t food,” he snapped, and slammed a coin on the counter of the bar to pay for the child’s bone broth before storming out of the cantina in a huff. 

The child cooed in his arms, his traumatic experience apparently completely forgotten.

“They were trying to eat you. If I got there a minute later, they would have,” Dyn informed him as he walked in the direction of the Crest’s hangar. The thought sent a stone plummeting to the bottom of his stomach. What would he have done if he had lost the child? The first thought that came to his mind was that his situation would become a whole lot easier. Without an asset to protect, he could return to the lifestyle he was used to- looking out for number one. But Dyn knew he wasn’t number one anymore. This child was more important, and his safety was Dyn’s only priority.

Speaking of safety… 

“You can’t waddle behind me anymore, kid. You’re gonna end up eaten, or captured, or worse.”

The child squeaked in agreement. 

Or at least, Dyn assumed it was agreement. He didn’t really have a way of knowing. 

As Dyn settled the bill with the mechanic, he considered options for baby transport. What did parents usually use to carry their children? Backpacks? Leashes? He hadn’t seen many younglings before. His memory wasn’t sharp enough to remember back to when he was a young child, either- not that he wanted to. 

x

Back in his ship, he weighed his options. Tying a spare cloak around his torso toga-style, he turned to look at the child, perched on a crate and peering up at him with those big, dark eyes. He reached for Dyn with two stubby clawed hands, and Dyn gently lifted him up and settled him in the dip of the cloak, effectively creating a portable cradle. He moved around a bit, jogging in place, testing the mobility. The child seemed to have no problem with it, closing his eyes contentedly. 

As Dyn hopped a few times, he felt the knot loosening. Before he could reach back to tighten it, the cloak came undone entirely and dropped to the ground. Dyn managed to snatch the child back into his arms before he hit the floor. 

So, that wasn’t going to work. 

He scanned the room for ideas, breathing evenly to steady his thudding heart. If only the commissioner hadn’t trashed that handy little floating carrier. Maybe they sold them elsewhere? 

Holding the child in one arm, Dyn fished in his belt for the satchel of credits he had nabbed from the bounty hunter earlier. They had been wearing a set of flashy armor- impractical and cheap, but maybe it could lead him to a supplier of similar items of better quality. 

He dug around in the bag until his gloved fingers brushed a slip of paper. He brought it out and unfolded it- a receipt for a shop called  _ Beskar Bazaar.  _ Ha. If that trash chestplate was truly beskar, it would have deflected the laser beam from Dyn’s blaster. It grated Dyn a bit that his people’s prized iron was being falsely marketed from sideshops, but anyone foolish enough to believe that real beskar could be bought from a tacky emporium deserved the rude awakening coming their way.

If he could, he’d make a baby carrier out of beskar, but the stuff wasn’t easy to come by and he was a long way from home. Replicas would have to do.

Dyn studied the receipt closer as the child nibbled on the lowermost corner. He could make out an advertisement for a place called  _ Galaxia Mall’s Youngling Mart- Your One Stop Baby Shop, located in the Delcon-2 quadrant _ . If there was any place to find a baby carrier, that would be it. 

Dyn tugged the receipt out of the child’s mouth and tapped his nose. “Well, little one- we’re going shopping.” 

x

Walking through the entrance of a baby supply store, Dyn felt like a rancor in a china shop. The walls were clean white and the whole store gleamed like newly polished beskar. The greeter positioned near the door smiled at the child perched on Dyn’s shoulder before seeing whose shoulder it was, then let out a small squeak and scuttled behind a rack of three-legged onesies. The other employees were nowhere to be seen, perhaps taking the first one’s lead. As he wandered through the store, unsure of exactly what he was looking for, he sensed the presence of people following close behind him, but whenever he glanced behind him, all he caught was the swing of a ponytail or a boot quickly shuffled behind an aisle.

Huh. 

He assumed that they didn’t see many beskar-decked Mandalorians in a mall shopping for diapers. 

Scanning the shelves for baby carriers, a rack of stuffed toys caught his eye. He had been meaning to purchase a better plaything than a metal ball, which he had been forced to fish from the child’s mouth just moments before he swallowed it numerous times now. 

He picked up a plush Tauntaun and held it up to the child. “This one is cute.”

The child pushed it aside and chirped. 

“You want a different one? Okay… How about this?” He selected a porg with huge, shiny eyes. The child again refused. 

“Fine. You pick, then.” Dyn set the child down on the shelf and he toddled over to a gray-and-pink monstrosity with a long neck, stubby mouth tentacles, and a set of udders. he reached for the hook it was resting on and chirped as he tried to grab it. 

“Seriously? A Thala-Siren? I thought kids liked cute stuff.” 

The child stopped his whimpering for the toy and squinted at Dyn, almost as if telling him off for assuming that the plushie wasn’t cute.

“Fine, fine. If that’s the one you want.” Dyn slid the critter off the hook and placed it in the child’s hands. It was almost as big as he was, but the child tittered contentedly and reached one arm up to be held again. 

“Don’t go eating this one,” Dyn warned. I won’t buy you another.”

Unbeknownst to him, a little audience had gathered around the scene. The shopkeeper had apparently been notified by his staff that a dangerous individual had entered the store, and had arrived to tell him off, but was a bit surprised to see a Mandalorian in full beskar talking to a child about stuffed animals. The other employees were crowded behind the shopkeeper, observing the scene. Two girls in the back giggled to one another. 

Frowning under the helmet, Dyn glared at the group. “Can I help you?”

The younger employees skittered away, but the shopkeeper approached Dyn. He was short, with tightly fitting goggles and a pale blue apron that had  _ Youngling Mart  _ stitched on the front pocket. 

“I suppose I should be asking you the same question. Are you finding everything alright?”

“Yes- do you have any child transport modules?”

“Of course! Our child-carriers are in aisle six. Follow me.” The shopkeeper started off down the aisles. Dyn followed, the child cradled in one arm. 

“We have numerous models here, for different child sizes and weights, number of appendices, in-module refresher receptacles…” the shopkeeper rattled off different features of each item, but it seemed like he was speaking Aqualish.

“Do you have any with armor?” Dyn interrupted. 

The shopkeeper seemed a bit taken aback. “Uhm. Yes, I believe so? But that’s not the most commonly sought-after feature, I can tell you that much.” He laughed as if he had told a hilarious joke. Dyn didn’t. 

The shopkeeper cleared his throat. “Well then, you’ll have to follow me to the storeroom quickly- we must have a few in the back.”

After a few minutes of waiting and hearing boxes shift and items dropping, the shopkeeper trudged out of the storeroom lugging a sizable metal canister. Wheezing, he dropped it onto the counter with a thud. 

“This here’s the most armored model I could find,” He explained, rapping it with his knuckles. “Durasteel exterior, cushioned interior for the little one’s comfort. Straps that go ‘round your torso… should fit just fine over that chest-plate of yours. Would you like to try it out?” 

Dyn didn’t like the idea of a stranger strapping anything onto his body, but it wouldn’t hurt to let the child get a feel for the pod.

“Let’s see how it feels, little one,” he suggested, and lifted the child into the carrier. He fit perfectly, even leaving room for that horrendous plushie. The child cooed and bounced up and down excitedly. 

“You like it?” Dyn asked, his heart stirring. Seeing the child so happy poked at a spot in his chest that he’d thought was broken. 

“He likes it, I like it. How much?” 

x

The shopkeeper paused in ringing up the items and squinted up at Dyn through this too-tight goggles. “Is this your first time parenting, then?”

The phrasing took Dyn aback. He hadn’t yet considered that he was parenting the child, only that he was a caretaker for the time being. And even so, the situation was a lot more complicated than simply labeling him as “parent”- but what to tell the shopkeeper?

Dyn went for the simple answer. “Yes.”

“Oh, well, then might I recommend this handy-dandy little manual!” 

Dyn considered grabbing him by the scruff and tossing him into the baby strollers just for that description. 

The shopkeeper nabbed a book off a nearby shelf and began flipping through the pages. “ _ First Time Parent: The Ultimate Guide to Raising the Happiest Youngling in the Galaxy _ . This thing helped me out big-time when I was a new dad.”

The book’s cover was emblazoned with a beaming cartoon human baby that looked rather jarring. “No, thanks.” 

“You sure? I can throw it in for half price. You may need it.” 

Dyn hesitated. He’d had so many questions about the proper way to care for the child before- maybe something like this could help him work out the kinks. “Okay. Thank you.” 

“Wonderful! That’ll be eighteen credits. Would you like us to send it out to your hangar for you?”

“Yes.” It’d be too much work to back himself, and he wanted to wait until he was in the privacy of his own ship to try the carrier on. 

He placed a stack of credits on the counter and accepted the receipt. 

x

Dyn studied the map, trying to find where the exit from this neon hellscape was located. It took him a moment to notice the child tugging on the hem of his cape. 

“What is it?” He asked. 

He chirped and pointed down a corridor lined with more shops, but that’s not where his attention was drawn to. At the end of the hall sat a large play structure modeled after a forest planet, with big, plastic trees and slides up the wazoo. Children of all different species climbed atop cartoonish-looking Nexu and piloted pretend AT-ATs. He’d seen Nexu up close. They certainly didn’t look that cute. 

“You wanna play?” Dyn asked. The child said nothing, only gazed up at him, eyes bright, still clutching his plush toy. 

Dyn let out a deep sigh. “Fine. But only for a few minutes.” 

He scooped the child up with one arm and headed towards the play area.

Apparently, all wishes to play vanished as soon as the child was ten feet away from other children. 

“What’s the matter, kid?” Dyn wondered. “You wanted to play just a minute ago.”

The child had crawled his way up Dyn’s beskar and was now perched on his shoulder, clinging tightly to his helmet.

Dyn felt a tinge of concern pluck at his heart. Why didn’t he want to join the other kids? He had been just fine with the village children. Panic seized him. Had he made a mistake in taking him away from his new friends so quickly? Was this shyness a permanent result of his heart being broken? This was all Dyn’s fault. 

Interrupting his thoughts, two women approached Dyn and the child. They had a little girl clinging on to one of their hands each, who was now attempting to hide behind their legs. 

“Hello!” The first woman said, a Twi’lek with pale green skin. “Our daughter was wondering if your child would like to play?”

The second woman, a human with curly brown hair, leaned forward and smiled. “She’s rather shy, and she perked up when she saw your young one, who looks shy too.”

“Sure.” Dyn lifted the child off of his shoulders and placed him on the ground. The child looked up at him for a moment, and at Dyn’s reassuring nod, toddled forward towards the girl. She peeked out from behind her mothers’ legs and smiled softly at the child. 

“There you go, love. Go have fun.” The pale green Twi’lek nudged her daughter out from behind her legs and the two younglings set off towards the play area. 

“I’m gonna run to the refresher. Could you watch Ysanne?” The curly-haired woman asked. 

“Of course.”

“Thanks,  _ ma sareen. _ ” She pecked her wife on the cheek and headed off. 

The Twi’lek smiled after her wife and then turned to Dyn, gesturing to the open bench besides him. “Mind if I sit?”

“Sure.”

The air smelled of sugary kettle corn and assorted junky snacks. Not to say they didn’t smell good- Dyn consisted on a diet of mostly ration bars, and these scents were enticing. He considered buying a bag for himself and the kid when he was done playing.

The thought amused him, and he chuckled dryly inwards. Here he was, a wanted bounty hunter, killer of hundreds, known for being one of the top warriors in the galaxy, watching his child climb on a brightly colored playground in the middle of a space mall, sitting next to a young civilian mom and craving kettle corn. At least the guild wouldn’t think to find him here. 

They watched the children play for a while before the Twi’lek turned to speak to him. 

“I’m so sorry if this is at all rude, but do you happen to be a Mandalorian?” She asked, uncertainty lacing her voice. 

“Yes.”

“Oh, that’s what I thought! I’ve heard of your people, and my wife claims to have met one once, but I’ve never seen any of you this far off the beaten path.” 

Dyn nodded, letting her carry the conversation. 

“I’m guessing the child is yours? He’s very cute.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Your partner put you on baby duty for today?” 

“I don’t have a partner.”

“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry for assuming! Your son is very lucky to have a father like you. I’m sure he doesn’t have to worry about being bullied by other kids!” She laughed to herself. 

Being called a father nearly whipped Dyn’s breath from his throat. Was he a father? He hadn’t adopted the child, at least not by Mandalorian standards. But… he cared for the child. Fed him, coddled him, changed his diaper, bought toys and baby carriers. All things parents did.

_ I’m his father. _

He was so caught up in the meaning behind the word, it took Dyn a moment to realize that the second part of her remark was referring to his beskar and Mandalorian status. He chuckled with her, but more at the fact that bullying was the least of the child’s problems. 

He gestured towards the child and the young girl playing on the plastic Nexu. “You seem like a wonderful mother as well.” 

“Seriously? I mean, thank you, but raising a daughter is so much harder than I ever anticipated. There’s so much to think about… When I tell you my wife and I didn’t get a lick of sleep the first year and a half, I’m not kidding.” She sighed and pushed a hand against her cheek. “I still feel like I’m messing up a hundred times a day.”

Dyn found himself nodding slowly. He could sympathize- he found himself questioning every move he made around the child, clueless and confused in a realm entirely new to him. Even watching the child play now, Dyn felt like at any moment, some horrific thing could happen and he would have to rush in to save him.

“Although... I guess if raising a young one was easy, no one would want to do it. The books were right- parenting is really just trial and error until you find what works, caring for your child the best you can along the way.” She smiled at Dyn.

“Yeah,” he said, thinking. “You’re right.” He may not be father material, but it was his responsibility to be the best possible parent to his child. And if that meant letting him buy a horrendously ugly stuffed animal if that’s what made him happy, then so be it.

The curly haired woman came back, and the Twi’lek stood up to greet her. “Ready to head out?” 

The curly-haired woman squeezed her wife’s hand. “Yep. Time to go, Ysanne!” She called to her daughter. 

The girl and the child came over hand in hand, giggling to one another. She grabbed her mother’s hand and gently touched the child’s oversized ear with the other. 

“Bye!” The girl said, beaming. “Thanks for playing.”

The Twi’lek smiled at Dyn. “It was nice talking to you- May good fortune bless you and your son!” 

“You as well. Thank you,” Dyn said, giving a little wave as the family walked away. 

Bending over, he picked up his child and settled him in his lap. “What would you say to a snack, little one?” 

xxx

**Author's Note:**

> in this house we like to pretend the ending of chapter seven never happened!! mando and son are safely traversing the galaxy and nothing is going wrong. nope! anyway-
> 
> yes i KNOW there probably aren't receipts or malls or play areas for kids in the star wars universe but i simply don't care!! thank you have a nice day!
> 
> this found family literally has my by the throat but i'm not complaining!! i love this foolish tin can father and his gremlin son. that's all there is to it!
> 
> also- ma sareen= twi'leki for "my sweet." 
> 
> thanks for reading!!! <3


End file.
